Getting over the 'I'm not good enough' fear

March 24, 2017

'I'm not going to apply for that job – I'm too young/inexperienced/under-qualified/not good enough/bla bla'. It's the same old story graduates have been telling themselves since universities first became a thing. And don't get us wrong, we totally get it; you don't have much experience, you are young, you might not have all the necessary qualifications. But....you are good enough. If you've found a job that you really think you'd be right for, that you'd work really hard at and are willing to put some effort into, then we're delighted to say that you are good enough. But, and it's a big but, this doesn't mean you are going to get the job you want....sorry. And the biggest reason for this is that a lot of other people will be applying for it too, and showing you're the best of the bunch is not easy (this is where your Happy Work profile is going to be your best friend, because not only will it showcase all the best things about you, but it will actually match you with an ideal job for you).

Of course, finding a job is just one thing; once you do finally get your dream job (thanks to your Happy Work profile), the next place the 'I'm not good enough' syndrome will rear its head is when you're in the job. Being surrounded by people who are older, more experienced, and possibly smarter than you is going to make you start thinking that your employers have made some terrible mistake, and that you are just not cut out for this. Ignore this dialogue. It's nonsense, believe us, if you aren't doing your job properly, and if your boss thinks you're not cut out for it, they will tell you. Not because they're particularly interested in helping you out (although some bosses will be), but because they need the best employees they can get to make the business a success. So if you were crap at your job you would know it pretty quickly.

So our advice is that unless someone is actually telling you that you're rubbish at your job (and even then we wouldn't necessarily recommend listening to them because they might just be a jackass) then ignore all that negative self-talk and just get on with it. Do what you do, and do it as well as you can. Then hopefully people will start to tell you that you are good enough, and maybe you'll start to believe it as well.